Table of contents
Volume 456 Number 7220 pp281-420
In this issue (20 November 2008)
Also this week
(this content only available online) indicates content that is available online only
Editorials
Beyond the origin p281
This issue of Nature anticipates next year's bicentenary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of On The Origin of Species. We begin here with a look 50 years into the future.
doi:10.1038/456281a
See also: Editor's summary
Call to action p281
European scientists who support neuroscience research on primates should tell their politicians why.
doi:10.1038/456281b
Stem-cell futures p282
In the changed political climate, US agencies can provide a new kind of leadership.
doi:10.1038/456282a
Research Highlights
Genetics: Quick change p284
doi:10.1038/456284a
Zoology: Whiff of danger p284
doi:10.1038/456284b
Physics: Flags and drag p284
doi:10.1038/456284c
Chemical biology: Honey trap p284
doi:10.1038/456284d
Molecular biology: Silent guide p284
doi:10.1038/456284e
Astronomy: Missing no more p284
doi:10.1038/456284f
Nanotechnology: Super speakers p285
doi:10.1038/456285a
Chemistry: Snip it with zinc p285
doi:10.1038/456285b
Microbiology: The one and only p285
doi:10.1038/456285c
Zoology: Sex with a twist p285
doi:10.1038/456285d
News
Nuclear renaissance plans hit by financial crisis p286
Role of fission in fighting climate change looks likely to wane.
Geoff Brumfiel
doi:10.1038/456286a
Web data predict flu p287
Search engines provide information about epidemics.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/456287a
Gene testing of embryos needs guiding p288
Experts caution against use of tests for adult-onset disorders.
Erika Check Hayden
doi:10.1038/456288a
Forestry carbon dioxide projects to close down p289
Move releases funds for new experiments.
Heidi Ledford
doi:10.1038/456289a
Snapshot: Carbon stores p290
Alexandra Witze
doi:10.1038/456290a
Electron 'bump' may confirm dark matter p290
Finding from balloon experiment adds to satellite data.
Geoff Brumfiel
doi:10.1038/456290b
Middle East synchrotron on the lookout for funds p291
Jordan facility needs final donations to construct machine.
Declan Butler
doi:10.1038/456291a
Satellite risks losing sight of Earth p292
Agencies to decide if grounded mission should fly as solar probe instead.
Ashley Yeager
doi:10.1038/456292a
Coal-fired power plants face delay in United States p293
doi:10.1038/456293a
US court allows sonar exercises to continue p293
doi:10.1038/456293b
Drug giant shows its commitment to stem cells p293
doi:10.1038/456293c
Ecstasy could augment the benefits of psychotherapy p293
doi:10.1038/456293d
US drug agency opens outposts in China p293
doi:10.1038/456293e
Indian space mission stakes its claim on the Moon p293
doi:10.1038/456293f
News Features
Beyond the origin p295
Celebrating the man and the book
doi:10.1038/456295a
Darwin 200: The needs of the many p296
The idea that natural selection acts on groups, as well as individuals, is a source of unending debate. Marek Kohn reports on what the two sides disagree about — and why it matters to them.
doi:10.1038/456296a
Darwin 200: Beneath the surface p300
You might think that once evolution has found one way to get something done, it will stick with it. But similar physical forms can hide radically different wiring, finds Tanguy Chouard.
doi:10.1038/456300a
Darwin 200: An eye for the eye p304
A celebration of one of evolution's crowning glories.
doi:10.1038/456304a
Darwin 200: Let's make a mammoth p310
Evolution assumes that extinction is forever. Maybe not. Henry Nicholls asks what it would take to bring the woolly mammoth back from the dead.
doi:10.1038/456310a
Correspondence
Key discoveries often originate with lone researchers p315
Shawn J. Green & Jon Brendsel
doi:10.1038/456315a
Significant confusion in scientists' grasp of statistics p315
R. Allan Reese
doi:10.1038/456315b
Biocultural diversity should be a priority for conservation p315
Christopher P. Dunn
doi:10.1038/456315c
See also: Editor's summary
Commentary
Darwin 200: Great expectations p317
A new path for evolution? A truce in the culture wars? Here's what a selection of readers told Nature they expect from Darwin 200.
doi:10.1038/456317a
See also: Editor's summary
Books and Arts
Colonies that conquer p320
A landmark book documents how social insects form highly successful colonies that mimic a single organism, explains Manfred Milinski.
Manfred Milinski
doi:10.1038/456320a
See also: Editor's summary
Darwin: heading to a town near you p322
The theory of evolution challenges artists and philosophers as much as scientists. Joanne Baker rounds up the many forthcoming events worldwide that examine Darwin's life, his work and reactions to it.
Joanne Baker
doi:10.1038/456322a
See also: Editor's summary
Books in Brief: A Down House bookshelf p323
doi:10.1038/456323a
See also: Editor's summary
Essays
Birthdays to remember p324
Anniversaries of Charles Darwin's life and work have been used to rewrite and re-energize his theory of natural selection. Janet Browne tracks a century of Darwinian celebrations.
Janet Browne
doi:10.1038/456324a
See also: Editor's summary
Being human: Conflict: Altruism's midwife p326
Generosity and solidarity towards one's own may have emerged only in combination with hostility towards outsiders, says Samuel Bowles.
Samuel Bowles
doi:10.1038/456326a
See also: Editor's summary
News and Views
Astrophysics: A message from the dark side p329
Both astrophysicists and particle physicists are in on the hunt for the elusive dark matter that is thought to pervade the Universe. A high-altitude balloon-borne experiment offers the latest hints as to what it could be.
Yousaf M. Butt
doi:10.1038/456329a
See also: Editor's summary
DNA sequencing: Mammoth genomics p330
Reconstruction of most of the genome sequence of the woolly mammoth illustrates how such investigations will pave the way for a deeper understanding of the biology and evolution of extinct species.
Michael Hofreiter
doi:10.1038/456330a
See also: Editor's summary
Palaeoclimate: Greenhouse-gas fingerprints p331
Short episodes of warming and cooling occurred throughout the last glaciation. An innovative modelling study indicates that ocean-circulation changes produced much of the causative variation in greenhouse gases.
Thomas F. Stocker & Adrian Schilt
doi:10.1038/456331a
See also: Editor's summary
Cell biology: Nuclear order out of chaos p333
How cells build their internal structures remains one of the central mysteries in cell biology. If the cell nucleus is anything to go by, stochastic assembly and self-organization seem to be key.
Tom Misteli
doi:10.1038/456333a
Nanotechnology: Squaring up with polymers p334
Squares may be unfashionable, but for electronic circuitry no other shape will do. A method for making square arrays of polymeric nanoparticles could herald the next generation of miniature silicon chips.
Anthony J. Ryan
doi:10.1038/456334a
Cell biology: Why little swimmers take turns p334
Tim Lincoln
doi:10.1038/456334b
Physiology: Courier service for ammonia p336
Physiological studies in mice demonstrate a surprising role for a kidney protein related to the rhesus factor of red blood cells. Similar research would aid further annotation of mammalian genomes.
Mark A. Knepper
doi:10.1038/456336a
See also: Editor's summary
Structural biology: Enzyme knocked for a loop p337
Protein-digesting enzymes are kept on a tight leash to stop them from wantonly attacking targets. Two crystal structures show how an inhibitory protein domain gags one such enzyme without being chewed up itself.
Ronald L. Mellgren
doi:10.1038/456337a
See also: Editor's summary
50 & 100 years ago p337
doi:10.1038/456337b
Articles
A role for Rhesus factor Rhcg in renal ammonium excretion and male fertility p339
Sophie Biver, Hendrica Belge, Soline Bourgeois, Pascale Van Vooren, Marta Nowik, Sophie Scohy, Pascal Houillier, Josiane Szpirer, Claude Szpirer, Carsten A. Wagner, Olivier Devuyst & Anna Maria Marini
doi:10.1038/nature07518
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (587K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Knepper
Generation of pluripotent stem cells from adult human testis p344
Sabine Conrad, Markus Renninger, Jörg Hennenlotter, Tina Wiesner, Lothar Just, Michael Bonin, Wilhelm Aicher, Hans-Jörg Bühring, Ulrich Mattheus, Andreas Mack, Hans-Joachim Wagner, Stephen Minger, Matthias Matzkies, Michael Reppel, Jürgen Hescheler, Karl-Dietrich Sievert, Arnulf Stenzl & Thomas Skutella
doi:10.1038/nature07404
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (2,742K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Structure of the intact PPAR-
–RXR-
nuclear receptor complex on DNA p350
Vikas Chandra, Pengxiang Huang, Yoshitomo Hamuro, Srilatha Raghuram, Yongjun Wang, Thomas P. Burris & Fraydoon Rastinejad
doi:10.1038/nature07413
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (1,650K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Identification of Holliday junction resolvases from humans and yeast p357
Stephen C. Y. Ip, Ulrich Rass, Miguel G. Blanco, Helen R. Flynn, J. Mark Skehel & Stephen C. West
doi:10.1038/nature07470
Abstract | Full Text | PDF (471K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Letters
An excess of cosmic ray electrons at energies of 300–800 GeV p362
J. Chang, J. H. Adams, H. S. Ahn, G. L. Bashindzhagyan, M. Christl, O. Ganel, T. G. Guzik, J. Isbert, K. C. Kim, E. N. Kuznetsov, M. I. Panasyuk, A. D. Panov, W. K. H. Schmidt, E. S. Seo, N. V. Sokolskaya, J. W. Watts, J. P. Wefel, J. Wu & V. I. Zatsepin
doi:10.1038/nature07477
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (253K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Butt
Isotropic quantum scattering and unconventional superconductivity p366
T. Park, V. A. Sidorov, F. Ronning, J.-X. Zhu, Y. Tokiwa, H. Lee, E. D. Bauer, R. Movshovich, J. L. Sarrao & J. D. Thompson
doi:10.1038/nature07431
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (570K) | Supplementary information
See also: News and Views by Stocker & Schilt
Twinning superlattices in indium phosphide nanowires p369
Rienk E. Algra, Marcel A. Verheijen, Magnus T. Borgström, Lou-Fé Feiner, George Immink, Willem J. P. van Enckevort, Elias Vlieg & Erik P. A. M. Bakkers
doi:10.1038/nature07570
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (626K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Glacial greenhouse-gas fluctuations controlled by ocean circulation changes p373
Andreas Schmittner & Eric D. Galbraith
doi:10.1038/nature07531
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (612K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Long-period earthquakes and co-eruptive dome inflation seen with particle image velocimetry p377
Jeffrey B. Johnson, Jonathan M. Lees, Alexander Gerst, Dork Sahagian & Nick Varley
doi:10.1038/nature07429
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (4,049K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Acoel development indicates the independent evolution of the bilaterian mouth and anus p382
Andreas Hejnol & Mark Q. Martindale
doi:10.1038/nature07309
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (981K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Sequencing the nuclear genome of the extinct woolly mammoth p387
Webb Miller, Daniela I. Drautz, Aakrosh Ratan, Barbara Pusey, Ji Qi, Arthur M. Lesk, Lynn P. Tomsho, Michael D. Packard, Fangqing Zhao, Andrei Sher, Alexei Tikhonov, Brian Raney, Nick Patterson, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Eric S. Lander, James R. Knight, Gerard P. Irzyk, Karin M. Fredrikson, Timothy T. Harkins, Sharon Sheridan, Tom Pringle & Stephan C. Schuster
doi:10.1038/nature07446
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (379K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Hofreiter
Guarding the gateway to cortex with attention in visual thalamus p391
Kerry McAlonan, James Cavanaugh & Robert H. Wurtz
doi:10.1038/nature07382
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (361K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Mechanism of phototaxis in marine zooplankton p395
Gáspár Jékely, Julien Colombelli, Harald Hausen, Keren Guy, Ernst Stelzer, François Nédélec & Detlev Arendt
doi:10.1038/nature07590
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (1,554K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Lincoln
The zinc-finger protein Zelda is a key activator of the early zygotic genome in Drosophila p400
Hsiao-Lan Liang, Chung-Yi Nien, Hsiao-Yun Liu, Mark M. Metzstein, Nikolai Kirov & Christine Rushlow
doi:10.1038/nature07388
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (938K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Concerted multi-pronged attack by calpastatin to occlude the catalytic cleft of heterodimeric calpains p404
Tudor Moldoveanu, Kalle Gehring & Douglas R. Green
doi:10.1038/nature07353
PDB code
3D view
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (663K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Mellgren
Calcium-bound structure of calpain and its mechanism of inhibition by calpastatin p409
Rachel A. Hanna, Robert L. Campbell & Peter L. Davies
doi:10.1038/nature07451
PDB code
3D view
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (563K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary | News and Views by Mellgren
The ion pathway through the opened Na+,K+-ATPase pump p413
Ayako Takeuchi, Nicolás Reyes, Pablo Artigas & David C. Gadsby
doi:10.1038/nature07350
First paragraph | Full Text | PDF (479K) | Supplementary information
See also: Editor's summary
Naturejobs
ProspectProspects p417
NIH tries to improve the odds for new investigators. But at what price?
Gene Russo
doi:10.1038/nj7220-417a
Career View
William Brody, president, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, La Jolla, California p418
Head of nation's biggest university research enterprise moves to the Salk Institute.
Eric Hand
doi:10.1038/nj7220-418a
Building up to an HIV vaccines p418
New centre intends to nurture vaccine expertise
Virginia Gewin
doi:10.1038/nj7220-418b
Imposter syndrome p418
As I spoke I thought 'Who's giving this presentation?'
Zachary Lippman
doi:10.1038/nj7220-418c
